[Thailand] Miss Tiffany's Universe 2012Thailand’s premier transgender beauty pageant, Miss Tiffany’s Universe, returns for a fifteenth year under the theme “Freedom Avant-garde” in its aim to encourage society to accept the value and ability of Thai transvestites.

[Turkey] Sisi asks prosecutor whether she will testify as part of Feb. 28 probeSeyhan Soylu (known as Sisi), a transsexual believed to have organized a scheme that led to a political scandal ahead of a non-armed military intervention in 1997, visited a specially authorized public prosecutor in Ankara on Monday to ask him whether she will be summoned to testify as part of a probe into the military intervention.

[Nepal] Nepal Lawmaker Asks Facebook To Include Third Genderthe only openly gay parliament member in Nepal — has written Facebook founders Mark Zuckerberg and Chris Hughes asking the social media site for the option of “third gender” or “others” when signing up

[USA] Trans Health Care Protections at Risk with the Supreme CourtYesterday kicked off National LGBT Health Awareness Week, a time when, as Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius said in a statement, we “highlight the progress our country is making to address the unique health needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans, especially through the implementation of the health care law, the Affordable Care Act.”

[LA, USA] Orleans Parish jail inmate reports repeated sexual assaultsA transsexual inmate at the Orleans Parish jail was raped repeatedly by different attackers in two different locations within the facility, according to a letter sent to Sheriff Marlin Gusman Tuesday by the inmate's attorneys. The inmate is being held in facilities reserved for male inmates, but identifies as a woman.

[India]Eunuchs look for Delhi’s acceptanceEunuchs are increasingly gaining their deserved political space in Delhi. First, in 2009, the Delhi Election Commission allowed them to enroll themselves and contest the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections as ‘others’ instead of male or female. This step freed them from age-old biases and gave them a new socio-political identity.

[India] The Most Visible of India’s Invisible ClassOn a swelteringly hot day in June of 2002, a 22 year-old hijra sex-worker named Sowmya was castrated by a Mumbai doctor for the sum of about 10,000 rupees ($200).In her clan, one of seven in the city, roughly three out of every four hijras are castrated, so this dangerous, occasionally deadly tradition was built into the intimate fabric of her everyday life. “I was so nervous” at the time, says Sowmya, who only goes by one name. “But my friends were with me.” While some hijras are castrated, many others simply adopt feminine clothing and mannerisms.

[New Zealand]Ad dropped after transgender backlashThe company behind a tampon ad that caused outrage in the transgender community said they ditched it as a result of the criticism and regret any offence it caused.

[Canada]Transgendered women welcome at roller derby clubTransgender women are welcome at the Border City Brawlers Roller Derby Club in Windsor, Ont.The club wants to ensure it is being all-inclusive. That's why it worked closely with Windsor Pride to ensure the club's gender policy is as inclusive as it can be. The policy is in its final stages of development.

[CO, USA]Rally tonight targets hate crimesMembers of the Colorado Progressive Coalition, Southern Colorado Equality Alliance, representatives from Posada and other concerned Puebloans will host a candlelight vigil and rally against hate crimes at 5:30 p.m. today to bring further awareness of violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The public is invited.

[MI, USA]Man gets 25-40 years in mutilation murderA Detroit man was ordered Monday to serve 25 to 40 years in prison in the brutal October killing of a transgender teen. Qasim Raqib was sentenced by 3rd Circuit Judge Bruce Morrow after pleading guilty March 7 to second-degree murder charges in the death of Henry Hilliard Jr., aka Shelley Hilliard. Authorities said Raqib mutilated Hilliard's body and set the 19-year-old on fire in the street on Detroit's east side.

[Australia]VALE RENÉE SCOTTMelbourne drag legend Renée Scott has died, aged 61.Scott died on Sunday, the cause of death is yet to be determined.One of the performers who graced Jan Hillier’s Pokeys shows at The Prince of Wales, which began in the late Seventies, the long-time St Kilda resident grew up in Chelsea, Victoria, the oldest of three boys.Vale Renée Scott

[NM, USA] Kids Come First in Complex Custody CaseThe pronoun was a problem.Throughout the child custody hearing — in a case described as convoluted and contentious as they come — Samuel Behar, attorney for mother Linda Deimer, kept falling into the habit of referring to Deimer’s ex-husband, Jaiden Williams, as “he.”

[UK]Livvy reaches e-petition targetA girl born a boy is celebrating after a petition collected 2,000 names thanks to the support of the Worcester News.The e-petition against the use of terms such as “tranny” and “gender bender” in the media has now reached its target after a hard-fought campaign by a Worcester family.

[UK]‘Unashamedly Me’ - from mechanic to authorTWO YEARS after the Leighton Buzzard Observer broke the story about a transsexual mechanic in Leighton who had been shunned by her customers for revealing ‘he’ was actually a ‘she’, Teraina Hird has now become a published author telling of her ordeal in order to help others overcome prejudice.

[Liberia] Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf defends gay stanceLiberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace Laureate, on Friday defended her country's stand on gay rights after controversy following an interview she gave to a British newspaper.

[India]In elections as in life: Eunuch to fight aloneAmong those who are gearing up to contest the civic elections is Anita, a 59-year-old eunuch. Anita had approached the BSP for a ticket but is considering contesting independently because she is yet to hear from the party. Anita wants to contest from south Delhi's Sangam Vihar, which now has a BJP councillor.

[USA]Torture of Gay Immigration Prisoners AllegedAfter criticism from the United Nations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said it is "taking action to investigate" reports that 16 gay and transgender detainees have been tortured in U.S. immigration prisons.U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture Juan Mendez first questioned the United States about the allegations August 2011. On Feb. 29, Mendez said that he "regrets" that the United States did not respond to his inquiry.

[NY, USA]A Transgender Candidate Is Hoping to Make HistoryZoning. School overcrowding. The design of New York’s transportation system.These are just a few of the subjects that Mel Wymore, a candidate for City Council on the Upper West Side, brought up in an interview before addressing the elephant in the room: that, if elected, he would be the first transgender member of the Council.

[TN, USA]Trailblazing TTPC President breaks new groundDr. Marisa Richmond, the president of Tennessee Transgender Political Coalition, adds another first to her trailblazing career. She has been nominated for an Athena Award, a prestigious award given to Nashville women who excel in the business, political, civics, and nonprofit sectors. She is the first transgender person to be nominated for this award.

[TX, USA]Welcome to Texas, prison rape capital of the U.S.In 2007, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice placed transgender woman Brittney Allen Young into the Powledge men’s prison unit in Palestine.Early in her sentence, Young’s cellmate, Charles, began overpowering and raping her, according to a letter Young wrote to Dallas Voice recently.

[TX, USA]Black Transmen Advocacy Conference to make history in DallasFor far too long, black transgender men have dealt with limited visibility within the LGBT community.Noticing a real need for a space where black transmen could come together, feel empowered and get much-needed services, Carter Brown founded Black Transmen Inc., or BTMI, in 2011.

[TX, USA]Transgendered woman, dealership settle lawsuitAn Odessa woman is settling a discrimination lawsuit with Freedom Buick GMC the week before it was set to go to trial in federal court. But it’s not a typical gender discrimination lawsuit in West Texas.Jazlynne Pacheco, formerly Alex, began taking hormones in June 2009 to physically change her gender from male to female, but claimed in a lawsuit that it ultimately led to her firing.

[Mexico]Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Call for Full Investigation of Murder of Transgender ActivistThe Mexican Women Human Rights Defenders Network is made up of women activists from throughout the country and I am proud to be among its members. The Network coordinates rapid responses to attacks on women human rights defenders in the country, carries out studies and works on self-care and mutual protection and support. Unfortunately, we have been overwhelmed lately by the number of attacks and assassinations. Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Agnes and the other 16 defenders killed. Our community is saddened and lessened by their loss.